Can Caroline Flack hold her relationship together until after her 40th?
She needs boyfriend Lewis more than ever
To call Caroline Flack’s love life interesting would be an understatement. In the past two years, she got engaged to Andrew Brady after three months of dating, before splitting up and getting back together several times. She was then linked to several (extremely fit) younger guys, including renowned ladies’ man Danny Cipriani. But since the summer, she’s been loved-up with another toyboy – tennis pro-turned-model Lewis Burton, who she went Instagram official with in August, although it hasn’t been the smoothest of relationships, with them having public bust-ups already.
And now, with her 40th birthday fast approaching, Caroline is determined for them to stay together – at least for the time being.
“It’s obvious that there are issues between them at the moment, but Caroline is keen to keep things going, because she can’t face handling a break-up before her birthday, and being single at 40,” an insider tells heat. “She has been trying to convince her friends – and herself – that everything is fine between them, but it’s getting harder and harder to paper over the cracks. She wants Lewis to act like everything is fine for now, and has told him she’s determined to make things work. There’s no way she wants to split before her milestone birthday.”
Earlier this month, the couple were pictured rowing during a holiday in Ibiza, before kissing and making up. And last week, Caroline sparked speculation that she and Lewis had split after putting an emotional post on Instagram. She wrote, “The last few weeks, I’ve been in a really weird place... I find it hard to talk about it… I guess it’s anxiety and pressure of life... and when I actually reached out to someone, they said I was draining. I feel like this is why some people keep their emotions to
themselves. I certainly hate talking about my feelings. And being a burden is my biggest fear.”
Although she didn’t name anybody, many people thought she was talking about 27-year-old Lewis. However, days later, the couple enjoyed a romantic night out – but we’re told Caroline’s friends still aren’t convinced this can go the distance. “Everyone is already dreading something going wrong, because Caroline and Lewis are blowing so hot and cold with one another,” says our source. “But her birthday is approaching fast, and Caroline is adamant that she will just have to put her happy face on and get on with it. It’s sad, because she wanted to be in a much more secure relationship than she is now. But she would prefer to try to make it work, rather than celebrate this birthday being single. Her friends are even worried that Lewis could be the one to call things off before the actual day, because he has complained that he feels as though they are rushing things too fast, and he still wants to enjoy himself and have fun, rather than having serious chats about their future.”
Caroline turns 40 in November and as heat has reported, she’s keen to settle down and has been thinking about marriage and kids. However, the insider says she’s scared of Lewis losing interest and is determined to show off her fun and sexy side to him – which may explain the naked picture she put up on Instagram last week . And, after she was snapped slumped in the back of a cab last week after leaving celeb haunt Chiltern Firehouse at 3am, friends say the star is dealing with her fears by partying more than ever.
“She’s partying non-stop to hide how scared she is about turning 40 next month,” says the source. “She wants to seem young, fun and flirty for Lewis. She’s acting like she’s a carefree twentysomething, but the truth is she’s ready for a change in pace. She’s keen for them to settle down and lead a calmer life. Although she knows it doesn’t all stop at 40 and she will still enjoy nights out partying, she’s picturing going on long Sunday walks and having cosy nights in. Her friends have been urging her to be more honest with him and that there’s no shame in asking for commitment, but she’s too scared. She feels he might not be ready yet, and she doesn’t want to jeopardise another relationship.”
As well as problems with her love life, Caroline has also found herself under fire following the announcement of her new TV project. The Love Island star will be presenting controversial new Channel 4 show The Surjury, which will see contestants try to convince a panel to give them free cosmetic surgery. If they win the strangers over, the show signs off on the procedures, which range from bum lifts to nose jobs, and documents the transformation. Many were quick to criticise the show, calling it a “disgrace”, a “dangerous format” and “glamourising surgery to vulnerable people”. Caroline hit back, assuring people that participants’ wellbeing was being taken seriously and people weren’t being pressured to get work done unnecessarily. Replying to one commenter, she said, “I’ve worked on [the show] and I’ve learned so much about personal choice.” n
‘everyone is already dreading something going wrong’